FEATURE ARTICLE
Coexistence: Proserv Provides a Different Perspective on Subsea Controls Technology
Preston Clarke Technical Authority, Power Management Proserv Controls
Kevin Glanville Technical Authority, System Design Proserv Controls
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trategies are shifting in the boardrooms of an increasing number of subsea operators.
For years, whenever their subsea controls systems have begun to stutter and lose efficiency, they have tended to follow a prescribed route: turn to the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) that provided it in the first place and seek a convenient, prompt remedy. When margins are tighter and the economic landscape more challenging, decisionmakers want increased reliability of their assets and optimised performance – not diminishing returns. However, typically, the solution offered up by the OEM hasn’t been what was demanded. In the years the equipment was working without a hitch, the OEM has likely released an upgraded model, which no longer supports the operator’s legacy system. Faced with increasing reliability issues plus obsolete kit, a full system upgrade, requiring major additional expense and extended production downtime, might seem like the only viable route.
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Subsea UK News | January 2020
In many senses, operators have been dependent on the support provided by their OEMs and have been tied in by their product range and lead times. An operator could commit to a subsea controls system, expecting 20 years of efficient performance, and factor in a field expansion of several new wells at a financially prudent point down the line to maximise returns, only to discover their infrastructure has now become obsolete. Their business strategy would be severely compromised as they anticipate either an expensive full upgrade or curtailing their plans, as they are no longer feasible. Then, as time passes and subsea control modules (SCM) begin to fail on their unsupported system, the only option from the OEM might be to replace the faulty
components with the latest iteration of the subsea electronics module (SEM), but because it has not been designed to be backwards compatible, all of its extra functionality and features, will be inaccessible. Imagine buying a new car, with fancy addons, only to find out you can’t actually use the in-built Sat Nav. Larger OEMs have a presence across several segments of the upstream industry. When an operator is handling a field with out-dated kit and needs spare parts urgently to retain the same levels of production, the slower turnaround times of the OEM, and the eventual lack of replacements, act like a gradual strangulation of efficient processes.